Jan. 29, 1880] 



NATURE 



305 



of two storms ; storms V. and VI. advanced from the 

 Pacific, cro-sed California and the Rocky Mountains, and 

 thence swept eastward over the States ; and storm VI II. 

 began its course near Chicago, ran out south-eastward to 

 near Cape Hatteras, and then recurved in the direction of 

 Niagara, where it died out after having traced a course 

 nearly elliptical. It is to an exhaustive treatment of 

 a tolerably large number of instances of these dif- 

 ferent types of storms, that we must look for the key 

 of the mystery of the genesis, progress, and termination 

 of the cyclone which comprehends within itself by far the 

 major portion of all weather changes. Towards this 

 great and perhaps not far distant result, nowhere is any 

 meteorological system making contributions so large and 

 so effective as is Gen. Myer through the munificent 

 liberality of the United States Government. 



DIFFUSION OF COPPER IN THE ANIMAL 

 KINGDOM 



T'HE fact of the normal presence of minute quantities 

 -*■ of copper in various members of the animal king- 

 dom has been noticed by several chemists within the past 

 twenty-five years. Kingzett states that he has invariably 

 found it to be a constituent of the human brain, while 

 Odling and Dupre", and Bergeron and Hotd have deter- 

 mined analytically the average amount of copper present 

 in the liver and kidneys of human beings and domestic 

 animals. In the latter case the average percentage of 

 copper found was about 35 millionths. Some two years 

 since Cloez examined the blood of a deer, and found it 

 to contain 6 millionths of copper. The most interesting 

 instance of the occurrence of copper in the animal crea- 

 tion is, however, that communicated by Prof. Church to 

 the Royal Society in 1869. At this time he was engaged 

 in the investigation of a peculiar, soluble, red colouring 

 matter present in the wings of the Turaco, a bird from the 

 West Coast of Africa. A thorough study of this pigment 

 showed it to contain 5-8 per cent, of copper, anrfProf. 

 Church established for it the formula Q H 50 Oi 9 NCu. 

 Led to seek the source of this strange factor In the animal 

 economy of the Turaco, he succeeded in detecting copper 

 in the fruit of the Musa sapicntum, which forms the chief 

 article of the bird's diet. 



To these few i.-olated cases of the normal assimilation 

 of copper in the animal kingdom, Dr. M. Giunti, in the 

 last fascicule of the Gasetta Chimica Italiana (vol. ix 

 p.540> adds a number of interesting and diversified 

 instances. 



His attention was first directed to the subject acci- 

 dentally by finding over one-third of 1 per cent, of copper 

 in the guano deposits from bats occurring in certain 

 Italian caves. This led to an analytical examination of 

 the bat, the results of which showed that about four ten- 

 thousandths of the weight of the ashes of this animal 

 consist of oupnc oxide. Still bent upon finding a more 

 ultimate source for the metal, Giunti has subjected to 

 analysis quantities of the insects which form the food of 

 the bat, and in all cases he has found copper present in 

 greater or less amount. The quantity would seem to 

 vary in the different orders, families, and species. Aquatic 

 insects contain less than those found on land, and the 

 Coleoptera appear to yield the highest percentage. Thus 

 the ashes of Atwmola vitis contain o-i per cent, of cupric 

 oxide, and those of Blatta orientalis 0-826 per cent. High 

 as this percentage seems, the amount of copper in an 

 individual insect is infinitesimal, being, in the case of 

 Auomala vitis, less than four-millionths of a gramme 

 Copper was also detected amongst other Coleoptera (such 

 as Cetome, Ccrambix, Ateucus sacer, Leurus striatum, and 

 notably the lava of Sriltotalpa) ■ amongst Diptera {Mosca 

 •tomesltca), Lepidoptera {Vanessa cardui, Piaris sinabis 

 Lzmemtes Camilla, &c), and Hymenoptera (s£sc/ieua 

 maculatissima, Libcllula depnssa, Calabroni, &c ) 



Giunti has next sought to ascertain whether other in- 

 sectivorous animals besides the bat are wont to assimilate 

 the copper present in their insect prey. This was found 

 to be the case with all members of this class subjected to 

 examination, such as snakes, lizards, urchins, &c. The 

 ashes of the latter contain from one to two ten-thousandths 

 of copper, while the ashes of lizards contain over fifteen 

 thousandths. In their case most of the copper is to be 

 found in the skin of the animal. 



Giunti's experiments have likewise been extended 

 amongst the invertebrates. Various varieties of spiders ; 

 of myriapods, such as Julus terrestris ; of isopods, such 

 as Armadillidium vulgare; and of snails, have all given 

 affirmative responses to his tests. Amongst these, Julus 

 terrestris contains the largest amount of copper, its ashes 

 showing a percentage of o'i8. 



The investigations of the Italian chemist in this novel 

 branch of physiological chemistry are still being con- 

 tinued, and it is to be hoped that more extended observa- 

 tions will inform us of the exact nature of the role played 

 by cupric compounds in the animal economy. 



T. H. Norton 



NOTES 



Next week we publish an extra number entirely devoted to 

 an account of the life and work of M. Durnas, the eminent 

 French chemist, and one of the greatest of living Scien'ific 

 Worthies. Dr. Hofmann, of Berlin, has been good enough to 

 devote a great deal of time and research to this paper, and has 

 treated the important subject in such detail that, owing to 

 the pressure on our space at present, it is impossible for us to 

 find room for this long article in the ordinary way, and we are 

 therefore compelled to devote to it an extra number. We are 

 sure our subscribers will give us their willing approval and sup- 

 port in an emergency so very special, and all will doubtless be 

 glad to have this sketch of an eminent French chemist by so 

 eminent a German confrere. 



A paper has been circulated by the Perpetual Secretary of the 

 Paris Academy giving notice that M. Maindron has been officially 

 commissioned to collect under their authority the archives of the 

 Academy, in a locality belonging to the Institute. Persons 

 possessing documents available for that purpose are requested in 

 the name of science kindly to send them. A fair example has 

 been recently given by M. Bornet, whose liberality has been 

 publicly acknowledged. M. Etienne Charavay, the expert in 

 autographs, has recovered on behalf of the Institute a number of 

 documents which had belonged to the Academy. 



The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, which 

 was inaugurated in June last, held its second general meeting on 

 Thursday, January 22, at 7, Adelphi Terrace, Mr. C. T. Newton 

 in the chair, when the rules drawn up by the Committee were , 

 adopted, the Bishop of Durham elected President, and other 

 officers settled as follows : — Vice-Presidents : Lord Morley, 

 Mr. Justice bowen, the Dean of St. Paul's, M. Gannadius, Mr. 

 Newton, Mr. E. Maunde Thompson, the Master of Trinity 

 College, Cambridge, Prof. Colvin, Rev. H. F. Tozer. Prof.Sayce, 

 Prof. Jebb, and Prof. T. K. Ingram. Council : The Bishop of 

 Lincoln, the Dean of Westminster, the Dean of Christchurch, 

 the Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford, Sir John Lubbock 

 (Treasurer), Sir Charles Dilke, Professors Bryce, Hort, Kennedy, 

 Mahaffy, B. Price, H. J. S. Smith, Tyrrell, Me-srs. A. J. 

 Balfour, M. P. , Oscar Browning, J. Bywater, W. W. Capes, 

 H. O. Coxe, T. Chenery, E. A. Freeman, Percy Gardner, 

 George Macmillan (Hon. Sec), Ernest Myers, D. B. Monro, 

 J. Cotter Morison, H. F. Pelham, F. TC. Penrose, Walter 

 Perry, J. A. Symonds, and Oscar Wilde. The objects ol 

 the Society, as stated in the outset of the Rules, are :— I. To 

 advance the study of Greek language, literature, and art. 



